


Nothing's Changed

by Elisabeth13



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisabeth13/pseuds/Elisabeth13
Summary: Tensions run high between Jay and Hailey when he has another on-the-job accident. Their new relationship status makes things a little more complicated, but "their thing" will always be the thing that works.
Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 78





	Nothing's Changed

**Author's Note:**

> Happy reading, friends!

Hailey was pacing around the waiting room of the hospital. The rest of the unit had taken their places in chairs, just watching her. No one knew what to do to calm her down.

Jay had gotten himself shot again. One of the bullets hit his vest and another appeared to have grazed his arm. He said he was fine, but the paramedics wanted to bring him in to make sure the impact from the bullet didn’t do any internal damage.

After, what Hailey felt was, much too long, Will finally came out. Hailey made a beeline to him, gazing at him hopefully.

“No internal damage, just a bruise on his chest. We had to give him a couple stitches for the graze on his arm but as long as he changes the bandages and makes sure nothing gets infected, he’s gonna be fine.” The whole team let out a sigh of relief, including Will who was constantly worried about his brother.

“Can we see him?” Kim asked, getting nods from the whole unit.

“We had to put him on light sedation to stitch him up, so he’s a little out of it right now. We can do one at a time.” Will informed them. They all nodded, everyone taking a step back to let Hailey go. Will smiled at her and ushered her forward.

“He’s asking for you.” he shot her a knowing smirk and laughed when her cheeks flushed. She followed Will into the ED and one of the trauma rooms. Jay smiled dopily when he saw Hailey, still a little high on the meds.

“There’s Superman.” Hailey joked, pulling a weak snort out of Jay.

“You okay?” he asked, reaching for her hand. She rolled her eyes and walked to him, lacing their fingers together.

“ _I’m fine_. You’re the one who took a bullet. Are you alright?” she asked, looking him over like she might be able to find something the doctors missed.

“I’m okay. Little sore, but…” he trailed off, shrugging. Hailey sighed and shook her head. Will reached over and squeezed his brother’s shoulder.

“We’re gonna keep you until the sedative is out of your system, but then you’re free to go. Just be careful with your stitches.” He instructed, glancing at Hailey like he knew that she would be the one keeping him in line. They both nodded and Will left them alone.

As soon as they were alone, Hailey collapsed into the chair beside Jay’s bed.

“ _God Jay,_ why is it always you?” she choked out, trying to keep tears from springing to her eyes. He furrowed his brows, eyes scanning her face, trying his best to read her.

“Hey, _I’m fine_. We’re both fine. It’s okay.” He reassured her, reaching over to stroke her cheek gently.

“ _I know_ , Jay. But you’ve got to start thinking before you jump in front of another bullet. This is the third time you’ve been shot since I’ve been your partner. One day, you’re not gonna be so lucky and it’ll miss your vest. And _I can’t_ , Jay. I can’t lose another partner like this. I can’t lose _you_ like this.” Hailey whispered. Her voice was watery and tight like she was trying not to get worked up.

When Jay didn’t say anything, she looked up into his eyes and he saw a tear run down her cheek.

“Hailey.” He mumbled, reaching out for her. She tried to ignore the hurt look on his face when she backed away.

“I’m sorry. I can’t right now. I’m sorry. I’ll see you later.” She mumbled, getting up out of her chair and walking out of his room, frantically wiping her tears away. Hailey rejoined her team in the waiting room, flashing them, what she hoped was, a reassuring smile.

“Next.” She said, smiling at Adam when he stood up. She didn’t take any of the empty seats, but instead walked out the door and to her car, not looking back and the confused looks the rest of the unit were sending her.

When Hailey heard the upstairs door buzz open, she realized this was the first time she’d looked up from her paperwork since she got back. The rest of the unit stayed at the hospital so long that Jay was able to come back with them. Hailey had been doing her best to keep herself distracted, but seeing Jay walk in with his still bloody clothes on tightened the knot of anxiety in her chest.

“Alright, now that we’ve got our whole unit back safe, everyone is free to head home as soon as you finish today’s paperwork. Jay, you’re on desk duty for the rest of the week.” Voight addressed them all before turning to head into his office.

Jay sat down at his desk and glanced over at Hailey. She met his gaze for a brief second before looking back down at her work, but it was enough for him to notice her red-rimmed eyes. He just sighed and looked down at his own paperwork. He hated to be the reason she was upset, but he really didn’t know what the problem was this time.

Hailey was the first one done with paperwork since she’d gotten a head start, but she stuck around. Even though her emotions were all over the place, she still wanted to go home with Jay and talk things out.

They ended up being the last two to leave, heading out just behind Kevin.

“See you tomorrow, Sarge.” Hailey called to Voight, while Jay just waved. Hailey walked out a few paces ahead of Jay, hoping to avoid an awkward conversation before they got home.

“What should we do for dinner?” Jay asked as they piled into Hailey’s Jeep.

“Whatever you want. I’m not really hungry.” She mumbled as she pulled out of the parking lot. Jay sighed, seeing straight through her, and slumping against the door of the car.

“Hailey.” He mumbled, turning his head to look at her.

“Can we just… not here? Not right now.” She interjected, clenching her jaw, and staring straight ahead. He nodded a few times, trying not to let panic take over. He knew what happened when a partner started to distance themselves, and he and Hailey hadn’t been together long. He hoped there was something else going on. He didn’t know what he’d do if this didn’t work out for them.

After almost ten minutes of awkward silence in the car, Jay sighed and glanced at Hailey.

“If you were to get hungry at some point, hypothetically, would you rather have Chinese or pizza?” he asked, finally smiling when Hailey let out a soft laugh.

“I’m still trying to get the taste of New York pizza out of my mouth.” She grinned and that’s when Jay realized she wasn’t really mad. Something was definitely going on, but at least he knew she wasn’t mad or going to end things with him.

“Copy that.” He laughed along with her and pulled out his phone to place the order.

Hailey pulled up to her apartment and led Jay to the front door. When they walked in, Jay moved to lean against the counter, letting Hailey do whatever she needed to do. She paced for a few moments, before stopping in front of him.

“Just… come, yeah.” She stuttered, finally just holding out her arms. Jay’s gaze softened as he stepped towards her and hugged her. He felt her exhale heavily and slump into his chest.

“Hey, I’m okay. Everything’s alright. I’m right here.” He mumbled into her hair as he held her.

“Can I see?” she asked after a minute, bringing one hand up to gently touch where his bruise was. He nodded and stepped back to pull off his shirt. Tears sprung to her eyes again when she saw the dark purple bruise a few inches below his heart, in the middle of his chest. “We should change this.” She mumbled when she noticed that there was a small patch of red on his gauze.

“If you want to do that first, we can.” He agreed. Hailey nodded, busying herself with changing his bandages while he stayed in place.

Unfortunately for Hailey, this only took a minute. Once he had a new bandage and his shirt was back on, they were right back where they started. She didn’t know where to start without crying, and even though Jay wanted to do whatever he could to make her feel better, he didn’t want to push her.

When the silence stretched on for too long, he stepped in.

“Hailey, whatever it is, you can talk to me. You can _always_ talk to me.” He squeezed her hand, getting a tense smile in return. She exhaled slowly, shaking out her hands before she spoke.

“Jay, I know what you were trying to do today, and it was very sweet, incredibly noble, but it was so _stupid_. You have to think about your own well-being before you just jump in front of a gun. You’ve gotten lucky with your vest twice now, but you weren’t when Angela shot you. Jay, I don’t want to see you go through that again. _I_ don’t want to go through that again with you. _Please_ , just be more careful and let me handle myself on the job.” She pleaded. He could hear the desperation in her voice, and he did understand where she was coming from, but he still couldn’t really believe they were having this conversation.

“Hailey, I try my best to be careful, but I couldn’t just stand by and let you get hurt! That’s not who I am!” he exclaimed.

“Jay you just tried to take a bullet for me!” she cried back at him.

“And I’d do it again!” he yelled, holding his arms open, practically inviting her to come back at him. Normally yelling like this, especially from a partner, would scare Hailey and give her flashbacks to her childhood, but this wasn’t the first shouting match she’d gotten into with Jay. He didn’t scare her, not one bit.

“That’s the problem, Jay! You need to let me take care of myself when we’re on the job. You get shot at enough, I don’t need you stepping in front of more bullets. Not for me.” She explained, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

“Hailey, I’m not just _not_ going to make sure you’re safe. I’m always going to protect you. I can’t lose you.” he tried and failed, to keep his voice steady, but neither of them cared.

“And you don’t think I want to do the same thing for you? But you keep running into danger, not waiting for backup, tackling me to keep me from getting shot, then getting shot in the process! You’re not being safe, and I can’t protect you when you’re actively trying to get yourself killed!” she yelled, angry tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Hailey, I know I screwed up with Angela, and a ton of times before that, but I swear I’m trying to be more careful. But I am serious when I say that I am always going to do anything I can to protect you, no matter what it takes, and if you have a problem with that, then I’m sorry, but that’s who I am. That’s who I’m always going to be.” He admitted, laying all the cards on the table. Hailey sighed and scrubbed her palms over her face.

“I know us being together makes work kind of complicated, but we can’t let _us_ affect how we do our jobs if we want to still be able to work together.” Hailey reasoned, stepping forward to lay her hand against Jay’s chest, but clearly, it was his turn to be worked up because he just stepped away from her.

“This has nothing to do with us.” He argued. Hailey raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“Jay! If you hadn’t been wearing a vest or that bullet had been aimed higher, you could’ve _died_ for me today! How can you possibly tell me that it has nothing to do with us sleeping together?” she exclaimed.

“Because it doesn’t! It’s not my fault you don’t believe me!” he yelled, throwing his arms up and starting to walk away.

“Hey, _I know_ things have changed! And I like how they’ve changed! All I want is for you not to take stupid risks for my sake!” she followed after him, not letting the matter drop.

“And that’s what you don’t get! Nothing’s changed for me, and you don’t get that!” he spun on his heel, eyes shining with passion.

“What are you talking about?” Hailey asked, suddenly much calmer. Jay groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face.

“ _I know_ we’re sleeping together. _I know_ we’re going out, but _Hailey_! You have to know that the only thing that’s changed between us is that now you know how I feel about you. I cared about you for so long before you found out! Long before you left for New York, and I cared about you before I even knew what I was feeling. If someone had shot at you and I could’ve protected you at any time, I would’ve done _exactly_ what I did today. It has nothing to do with us dating because I would’ve jumped in front of a bullet for you the day we met.” He finally explained, and Hailey didn’t know what to say. She just stared at him, tears still running down her face.

She could only stare at him for a few moments before he started to get antsy.

“Okay, I just said some really sappy crap and you haven’t said anything, and I’m starting to get a little nervous.” He chuckled anxiously but was cut off when, instead of speaking, Hailey surged forward and kissed him. Her thumbs stroked his cheeks while his hands settled on her waist. She moved one hand to cup the back of his head, running her fingers through the short hairs at the base of his neck.

When they had to move apart to catch their breath, she didn’t go far. She pulled him into a tight hug, careful of the bruise on his chest. He slipped his hands under her shirt and rubbed circles into her skin. When they pulled away from the hug, Jay kept her close. He raised a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks then kissed her forehead.

“I know the only reason we’re having this argument is because we both care about each other so much and we want to protect each other, but _Jay_. I can’t lose you. _I love you!_ I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you because you were trying to protect me.” She admitted, noting the surprised look on his face.

“Did you just…?” he trailed off, sending a spark of anxiety through Hailey’s stomach.

“Yeah. Is that a problem?” she asked, ready to backtrack in case she’d spooked him. Instead of answering, he kissed her again. He managed to lift her and sit her on the counter, pulling her as close as possible. His touch was tender and loving while his lips and tongue were doing filthy things to her.

They were panting when she finally pulled away. His hands were in her hair and she was running her hands along his smooth skin.

“You didn’t answer my question.” She joked. She knew it wasn’t easy for Jay to express his feelings, and he’d say it when he was ready, but she did need to know that she hadn’t scared him off.

“Definitely not a problem there.” His grin took up his entire face, lighting up the whole room.

“Good to know.” She smiled back at him, her dimples popping out. He leaned in to kiss her again, gentler this time. She was smiling against his lips, wanting to do anything but stop kissing him, but she knew just saying that she loved him wasn’t going to solve this argument. The reason they worked so well together was because they always managed to talk out their issues.

“Hey, so why don’t we agree to both be very careful but don’t take any extra risks. If you get shot again, it should be because someone aimed at you and you couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, and the same for me. I’ll hold your hand in the hospital if anything happens, but can we both agree not to take any extra risks?” Hailey asked, giving him the look that always got her whatever she wanted. He sighed but finally nodded.

“Do I get to hold your hand in the hospital too?” he asked, making her laugh and pull him closer.

“As long as you don’t get yourself killed trying to be noble, you can do anything you want.” She agreed, pulling him in for another kiss.

“Mmm, I just wanna keep you safe.” He mumbled against her lips, somehow still having this conversation even though the hand that wasn’t tangled in her hair was unbuttoning her flannel.

“I know you do. Me too.” She panted, grinning when she managed to unbuckle his belt.

“I can’t lose you, Hailey. I love you.” he confessed as he peppered kisses to her cheek. She froze as a wide grin spread across her face.

“Yeah?” she asked hopefully, Jay’s grin matching her own.

“You can’t tell me you didn’t know?” he joked, kissing her deeply while she laughed against his mouth.

“I did have my assumptions.” She teased, reaching down to pull his shirt off again.

“Always knew you were a top-notch detective.” He mumbled as he kissed down her neck. He was smiling as the sound of her laughter filled the room.

“You’re not so bad yourself. Wanna put those skills to the test and figure out where I want you to take me?” she teased, her hands trailing lower to rest low on his hips.

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” He agreed quickly, pulling her close to his chest and holding her tight so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He walked them to the stairs, kissing her the whole way there, then reluctantly let her walk so they wouldn’t have any more accidents today. He kept his hands on her the whole way up to her room, tickling her sides or stopping to pin her to the wall and kiss her, her laughter echoing through the whole house. Jay couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her. The sound of her laugher would always be one of the best sounds he’d ever heard.


End file.
